Ball speed question

[SPS]

We recently put a new scoring system in our center with the ball speed on it and mine is around 16.5 and is usually close to this speed at all centers that have to speed on it. My question is do all the centers use the same location to get the speed? Ours is about 52 feet down the lane so im sure thats where the ball is probably the slowest because it has turned over and lost alot of energy. I ask this, because one of our bowlers took a training course at Kegel in Florida and he swears his ball speed was 17 mph and with ours hes down to 13-14. I also here the PBA saying average ball speed on tour is 18-19. I would say that my ball speed is above average, but still not nearly 19 mph, even when im going straighter. So do training centers and PBA use different markers to get the speed, like maybe 30 feet down the lane? The guy that was questioning it, is a pretty good bowler and he is just frustrated, because hes in a slump and then he saw his ball speed and said theres no way he can lose that much ball speed in 3 years.

[Ticker]

I think they use the same location but it might vary depending on the official rules of the game. I am pretty sure it is the same regardless though.

[onefrombills]

to the best that I know they do read from the same spot

[PSBA10]

Something else to consider. At 52 feet typically the ball is moving toward the pocket. That means that when it goes through the speed sensing area it does so at an angle. Since it is at an angle to the sensor it will spend more time in the sensing area indicating a slower speed than it is actually traveling. Knowing this, the steeper the angle the slower the apparent ball speed. Conversely the straighter the ball the closer it will be to the actual speed.

[liowkc]

I guess it is the same everywhere.

Decrease in ball speed cam be attributed to many reasons; the greatest effect is the amount of friction created between the ball and the lane as it travels towards the pins.

[kev3inp]

Doesn't Kegel use the CATS system? That measures the ball speed and position at multiple places down the lane. We're going to try it out at a CATS session in Seminole, FL next weekend. That 17 may be the initial speed, then it drops. Also, while most of the local alley's sensors are in the same general area, they may not all be calibrated correctly. My speed varies 3mph depending on which house I'm at, so I can only attribute that to poor calibration of the sensors.

[stc17]

most places here are about the same i bowl in 5 different houses and all of them show me right around 21-22 mph